Sony Offering the Role of Mary Jane Watson in the SPIDER-MAN Reboot to Emma Stone

As audiences exited Easy A, Sony polled moviegoers, “Would you like to see us feature star Emma Stone prominently in our biggest franchise?” 83% of those surveyed checked the box that read, “Good lord, yes!”

Maybe it didn’t really go down like that, but the gist is more important than the details. We learned yesterday that Ms. Stone was among five candidates to play Gwen Stacy or Mary Jane Watson in the studio’s reboot of Spider-Man. Sony is now ready to offer Mary Jane to Stone, leaving Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland), Dianna Agron (Glee), Dominique McElligott (Moon), and Georgina Haig (Wasted on the Young) to vie for the role of Gwen. More on the nature of these roles in the franchise after the jump.

The way Deadline tells it, Gwen Stacy has the more prominent role in the first feature as the first high school love of Peter Parker. Mary Jane, on the other hand, plays a more pivotal role in the presumed Marc Webb-directed sequels.

Following buzzed turns in Never Let Me Go and The Social Network, Andrew Garfield all but guaranteed his becoming the next big thing by signing on for Spider-Man. If she signs on, Stone is arguably better poised for a comparable breakout based on the commercial success of both Easy A and last October’s Zombieland. Sony has already demonstrated their intent to keep her in the family, offering Stone the female lead in 21 Jump Street.

I’ve been on the Emma Stone bandwagon since Superbad, so this development has my full support. If casting Mary Jane truly does involve significant forecasting, Stone seems a sound investment — hope she accepts.

The untitled Spider-Man reboot hits 3D theaters on July 12, 2012. As far as Mary Janes go, how do you think she might measure up to Kirsten Dunst’s performance in the Sam Raimi trilogy?

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